In a meeting with agitating locals of Banchare Danda, where a new landfill site is being constructed, Minister Sherma on Sunday asked the agitators to not obstruct garbage disposal as it may trigger an outbreak of communicable diseases. [break]
He expressed his commitment to provide them with compensation for lands acquired by the government within two weeks. However, the agitators vowed to continue with their strike unless the government signs a written agreement to that effect.
“We can not trust the government´s verbal assurance,” said Shree Ram Dhungana, one of the representatives of agitating locals present in the meeting. “We will let garbage disposal begin only after the government expresses a written commitment.”
According to Dhungana, the locals are likely to meet officials of Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Monday, which is expected to ink a written deal paving way for resumption of garbage collection and disposal.
The Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) has acquired 700 Ropanis of land in Banchare Danda, which straddles Nuwakot and Dhading, just 1 km away from Aletar landfill site, to build a new site.
About 150 families in the vicinity of Banchare Danda have been displaced due land acquisition. The government had assured them to provide compensation for their lands last year.
“We have already decided to provide compensation for acquired lands; but it takes time as it requires a huge amount of money,” Rabin Man Shrestha, Chief of Environment Management Department at Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), told myrepublica.com.
According to Shrestha, the government requires about Rs 500 million to compensate all locals whose lands have been acquired for the construction of the landfill site.
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